From the Vice Provost Inaugural Global Summer Institute

From the Vice Provost

Welcome back to the fall semester!

I am very pleased to announce that the inaugural Global Summer Institute (GSI) at Stony Brook University was a great success. We had more than 230 students from 7 countries participate in both certificate and credit-bearing programs. These students were paired with more than 30 Stony Brook students who served as their cultural guides and global ambassadors.

Our participants included several incoming undergraduate international students who were able to get a head start toward their degree while experiencing cultural activities aimed at familiarizing them with the University and the region. All our GSI students enjoyed their experiences, and those who took academic courses achieved an average GPA of 3.5! We are excited to continue the GSI program next summer, and anticipate an increased number of students.

Among our top priorities as we continue into the new academic year are international student success and encouraging study abroad opportunities. The International Student Success Task Force finalized and presented recommendations on improving outcomes for our international student population. As we welcome 1,500 new international students to campus this semester, we will continue developing these innovative ideas. The International Academic Programs (IAP) office saw an increase of 100 students for summer study abroad programs over the previous year. IAP is actively developing study abroad opportunities, such as the new CEAS Global Innovation program at the Turkana Basin Institute, and is also striving to make the study abroad process easier by creating a database to help transfer credits back to Stony Brook.

With your support, engagement, and contribution, we are looking forward to another exciting semester full of global activities and initiatives. In addition to the return of our Global Forum series and International Education Week, we are also planning a dedication ceremony for Stony Brook's new China Center and a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of our Confucius Institute at Staller Center on November 11. The festivities will feature a performance by the Martial Artists and Acrobats of Tianjin, China.

We look forward to celebrating all our global initiatives with you throughout the semester and into the new year!

Inaugural Global Summer Institute

The Office of Global Affairs held our inaugural Global Summer Institute this summer to resounding success! More than 230 students from 7 countries participated in one of four options: a three-week Global Certificate Program, a 6-credit academic program, a 3-credit academic and English enhancement program, and an intensive English program.

Throughout the summer, students attended academic and English language courses, but were also exposed to a variety of new topics through a special lecture series. The lecture series featured distinguished Stony Brook faculty to instruct GSI students in their area of expertise. Most notably, students heard from President Samuel Stanley, who presented on the Global Challenges of Infectious Diseases, and Provost Michael Bernstein, who spoke about the Economic History of the United States.

The highlights from GSI 2017 were the cultural activities planned each week and the interaction with our Global Student Ambassadors (current Stony Brook students who volunteered to welcome and act as cultural liaisons to our GSI students). Participants loved traveling to New York City, Riverhead Outlets, Splish Splash Water Park, and Smith Point Beach to experience American life and culture. Our Global Student Ambassadors were with the GSI students every step of the way, guiding them through the City, taking them on tours of Port Jefferson, and introducing them to local restaurants and shopping.

Learn more about the GSI 2017 experience on the Global Affairs website and continue on to read remarks from one GSI participant!

A Student Perspective on GSI Graduation remarks by Daeun Heo, GSI Global Certificate Program

Hello, everyone. I’m Daeun, or Judy Heo from Kyunghee University. It is a great honor for me to stand here on behalf of my university and my fellow students. To start the graduation remarks, I have an English proverb that I want to share with you. It is “Strike while the iron is hot”. This proverb means to take an opportunity when it comes by. I think a lot you will be familiar with this idea since we have been told it many times during our summer program here at Stony Brook. During classes, we have been told to lean in. In lectures, Dr. Liu and GSI instructors encouraged us to ask questions by taking opportunity.

Picture: Daeun Heo (right) visits the Statue of Liberty during the GSI trip to New York City.

Here, at the graduation ceremony, I would like to say that all of us have taken the opportunity and have succeeded in making progress this summer by choosing this GSI program and making the effort to not only get the certificate but also to make ourselves more competent members of our society. This morning, I want to elaborate more on what that opportunity we have taken in this summer is.

As we all know from Dr. Tan’s lecture yesterday, the United States is a country of immigrants, and therefore a country with diversity of cultures. By spending our time here at Stony Brook and in the States and also by taking American culture classes, I’m sure that we experienced different kinds of cultures outside of our own cultures. Thank you Pam. And also, congratulations to all of us for taking that opportunity to step out of the comfort zone. I believe we have become more culturally tolerant through the three weeks of experience here at Stony Brook.

Also, it was definitely a great chance for us to stay near New York City, the city of dreams. I assume many of us visited the Wall Street in lower Manhattan which is the center of world’s economy. We have all learned how the United States is good if not, the best place to start a startup. Thank you, Alicia. It was a great opportunity to get an insight of business and economy at Stony Brook.

Education For All: G7 University Conference by Lia Tremblay, Stony Brook Matters

With a background in biomedical research, Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. is keen on evidence-based practices. So naturally, when he learned of an opportunity to attend the G7 University conference in June, sharing discoveries with six other nations, he was intrigued.

Photo: President Stanley with Jennifer DeLeon, a Stony Brook doctoral student in molecular and cellular biology.

The event was a follow-up to the 43rd G7 summit, held in May, in which leaders of the seven G7 nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) gathered to discuss world affairs.

“G7 meetings in the past have been primarily about global financial, economic and trade issues, or international security,” President Stanley said. “But higher education has not been on the agenda. The idea was to have this special session on higher education to convey to the G7 members how vital higher education is to each nation’s well-being.”

With university leaders invited from all seven nations, G7 University was held in Udine, Italy, and designed around a theme of “Education for All.” It was a perfect fit for President Stanley to discuss something he is passionate about: improving access to quality college education.

“We are fortunate to attract a number of economically disadvantaged students to Stony Brook University, many of whom are first-generation college students,” he said. “They come from families that have tremendous respect for higher education and believe it is a pathway to opportunity.”

Global Forum Series Returns This Fall

This fall the Global Forum series returns to focus on Stony Brook University's global sites! Come hear about the cutting edge research being conducted in Kenya and Madagascar, and learn about study abroad opportunities at Stony Brook sites around the world!

All events will be held in the Wang Center. Visit the Global Affairs website for more details.

Upcoming Global Forums

Turkana Basin Institute SUNY Korea Wednesday, October 11 Wednesday, November 1 1:00 - 2:30 pm 1:00 - 2:30 pm St. Petersburg State University Florence University of the Arts Wednesday, October 25 Wednesday, November 29 1:00 - 2:30 pm 1:00 - 2:30 pm

Young Leaders Program Sends Entrepreneurs to China by Michael Arrick, MBA Candidate '18

This July, the Confucius Institute sponsored my attendance at the Young Leaders Program for entrepreneurs in China. It was not my first time exploring the world. I've been to Buenos Aires and Montevideo in South America, I've traveled to Puero Vallarta and Cancun in Mexico, and to Montreal up north. I've seen much of my own country, driving across the states in my old Hyundai wagon. But China was on the other side of the world. It's the farthest from home you can get as a New Yorker, and that meant one thing: every minute of every day spent in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing were opportunities to soak up information about the culture. As a business student, that's exactly what I needed - an experience that would differentiate me from others and open my eyes to a global view of business.

Photo: Anthony Gould (L) and Michael Arrick (R) at Shanghai Jiaotong University's museum.

The Confucius Institute granted me and my classmate, Anthony Gould, a two week stay in three cities - Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing - completely free. I just needed to pay my airfare. My trip was three weeks in total. I flew in three days before the program started, and stayed a few extra days (on my own dime) to explore once it had ended. This gave Anthony and me time to tour Shanghai with a friend and colleague at the SBU College of Business, Harry Xia, a Shanghainese student who was home in China for a summer internship.

"This experience was once in a lifetime...I came back with a renewed understanding of Chinese business and how I can be a part of it. And that is exactly what I was looking for."

My first few days in Shanghai were colored by sensory overload. The sights and sounds of bustling cars and bikes, electronic scooters and people shuffling past - it hits you like a tsunami. On the one hand, the differences are stark; people riding tricycles past you with stacks of garbage eight feet tall tied to the makeshift bed, scooters driving within inches of your taxi as they zip up the wrong side of the street. Traditional marketplaces with vendors selling soup dumplings with straws sticking out, whole small birds and other foreign creatures cooked on a skewer, waiting to be served with "stinky tofu" (that's its English name), and the constant chatter between locals.

Global Affairs Highlights China Center Opens Its Doors Transfer Credit Articulation Goes Live!

The Office of Global Affairs invites you to International Academic Programs, in join us on Saturday, November 11, 2017 at coordination with the Office of the Registrar 8:00 pm to celebrate the dedication of and Academic and Transfer Advising Stony Brook University’s China Center and Services, has successfully implemented the 10-year anniversary of the Confucius transfer articulation of study abroad course Institute at Stony Brook with a live credits beginning with the Summer 2017 performance from the Martial Artists and term. All credits earned on a Study Abroad Acrobats of Tianjin, China. or Exchange program at an international partner institution will be posted directly to The China Center, located in room 103 of students’ academic records. This includes the Charles B. Wang Center is a concerted courses evaluated by academic effort to coordinate and streamline Stony departments for major/minor credits and Brook’s initiatives in China, including general education (DEC & SBC) credits. overseeing relationships with Chinese partner universities, recruiting graduate and Transfer Articulation will eliminate the undergraduate students from China, previously used transcript supplements and strengthening alumni chapters in China, and make the process of transferring study developing short-term training programs for abroad credits back to Stony Brook more Chinese visitors. efficient for students, academic departments and administrative offices. IAP looks forward Tickets for the show are on sale at the to continued cooperation with the Registrar Staller Center Box Office. We hope to see Office, ATAS and all academic departments you there! at Stony Brook University.

CEAS Global Innovation Program at International Student Success TBI Throughout the spring semester, the The Global Innovation Study Abroad International Student Success Task Force Program at the Turkana Basin Institute is set (ISSTF), co-chaired by Charles Robbins, to run again for Summer 2018. This unique Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, program offers students the opportunity to and Jun Liu, Vice Provost for Global Affairs, find creative solutions to real problems for delivered four recommendations to real people in Kenya! University leadership to increase international student success: Students participating in the inaugural Summer 2017 program applied their 1. In conjunction with university innovative thinking skills to respond to a enrollment strategies, enhance and major flood that occurred during their stay. create new sustainable pipelines to With help from faculty, teaching assistants recruit more high quality international and resident coordinators, students students. Establish an international student developed quick and effective solutions to 2. success service hub to coordinate aid local residents! admission, orientation, advising, and career development. This program is designed for students who 3. Organize a series of faculty have an interest in innovative design workshops to encourage, inform, and engineering geared toward developing share instructional best practices in populations. Using the Turkana Basin coordination with the Provost's Office Institute as the base for their field work, and the Faculty Center. students work in interdisciplinary teams to 4. Identify best practices in ESL curricula have a positive global and local impact models across peer institutions to through relevant fieldwork and case studies. enhance student learning outcomes.

Visit the Study Abroad website to learn The ISSTF will continue to meet and move more about the program, and check out TA forward on these recommendations Julian Kingston's blog about the summer throughout the 2017/2018 academic year. 2017 experience!

International Student Spotlight

This fall, Stony Brook University welcomes nearly 1,500 new international students from over 50 countries to campus.

Read on to learn about our new international students!

Photo: New graduate international students at the Visa and Immigration Services Graduate Welcome Reception. Next Issue

China Center Dedication International Education Week Global Forum Series